Gran Valencia lose unbeaten streak in hammering
After 11 matches unbeaten, Gran Valencia lost their first match of the group stages as they were hammered 5-1 by Deportivo Lara.
Gran Valencia capitulated as they went down to nine men in the second half, but the result meant that they still finished top of the Grupo Central.
🔴⚫ • ¡Triunfo rojinegro! @DeportivoLara doblegó 5-1 a @FCGranValencia
⚽ • Raudy Guerrero 28′ (GVA)
⚽ • Juan Castellanos 45+1′ (LAR)
⚽ • Gilson Salazar 75′ (LAR)
⚽ • Rubén Rojas 79′ (LAR)
⚽ • Jesús Hernández 90′, 90+4′ (LAR)#VenezuelaEsFUTVE #LigaFUTVExTVES pic.twitter.com/zHtNKxdMyP— Liga FUTVE (@LigaFUTVE) July 17, 2021
The match
Bladimir Morales’ side went in front through Raudy Guerrero but Juan Castellanos equalised in first-half stoppage time for Lara.
Dimas Meza was sent off early in the second period for the visitors and it got worse when Edgar Castellanos was also dismissed.
The scores were level with 15 minutes to go but a mixture of fatigue and slack defending saw Lara punish Gran Valencia and score four times in the last quarter of an hour.
Gilson Salazar put Lara in front before Ruben Rojas added a third. Jesus Hernandez scored twice in stoppage time to inflict a heavy defeat on Valencia.
Tachira hold on to top spot after Portuguesa slip-up
Portuguesa blew the chance to win the group after they were beaten 1-0 at home against Zulia. They just had to win to secure top spot but they failed to do the job.
🔴⚫ ¡A LA CAZA!
👉🏼 Terminamos la segunda vuelta del grupo occidental de la @ligafutve en puestos de competición internacional y a tres unidades del líder Deportivo Táchira.#PortuguesaFC #VenezuelaEsFUTVE pic.twitter.com/QzPWRccNUN
— Portuguesa FC (😷) (@Portuguesa_FC) July 17, 2021
As a result, Deportivo Tachira, who did not play last weekend, held on to first position.
Elsewhere, Zamora lost 1-0 at home against Estudiantes de Mérida after an amazing goal from Armando Araque.
Monagas miss out by two goals
Monagas missed out on leapfrogging Caracas into top spot of Grupo Oriental despite beating Atletico Valencia.
They needed to win by three goals to overhaul Caracas on goal difference but they fell just short, despite winning their seventh game of the group.
Juan Carlos Ortiz and Franklin Gonzalez put them within a goal of going top but Atletico pulled one back to kill Monagas’ hopes.
In the same group, Metropolitanos beat LALA 1-0 to consign them to a fifth-straight defeat. 19-year-old Aarón Rodrigues rose highest to score his first career goal for the club in his first appearance as a starter.
